Honduras: the deadliest country in the world for environmental activism

Nowhere are you
more likely to be killed for standing up to companies that grab land and trash
the environment than in Honduras.

More than 120
people have died since 2010, according to Global Witness research. The victims
were ordinary people who took a stand against dams, mines, logging or
agriculture on their land –murdered by state forces, security guards or hired assassins. Countless
others have been threatened, attacked or imprisoned.

In March 2016, armed men broke into environmental activist Berta Cáceres’ home in the middle of the night and shot her dead.

17-year-old Alan Garcia (main picture) survived a bullet to his chest. He was protesting against a hydropower dam on his community’s land when the military opened fire. Alan’s father was shot dead in the same attack.

Three years later, in 2016, high profile environmental activist Berta Cáceres was assassinated for demonstrating against the very same dam.

Who is behind the murders?

Following a two-year investigation into who’s behind these murders we can reveal how projects at the heart of conflicts are linked to the country’s rich and powerful elites, among them members of the political class.

Our investigation sheds light on the back-door deals, bribes and lawbreaking used to impose projects and silence opposition. We also scrutinise how the US is bankrolling Honduran state forces, which are behind some of the worst attacks.

Listen to our podcast about the investigation: available via Soundcloud and itunes

Powerful elites and chronic impunity

These crimes
are being met with chronic levels of impunity. On rare occasions the triggermen
are arrested, but the people who contract them are almost never punished.

“We have documented countless chilling attacks and threats, including the savage beating by soldiers of pregnant women, children held at gunpoint by police, arson attacks on villagers’ homes, whilst hired assassins still wander free among their victims’ communities.”
- Billy Kyte, Global Witness campaign leader

Among those linked to the violence is GladisAurora López, the president of Honduras’ ruling party and one of the most powerful politicians in the country. Documents leaked to Global Witness reveal that the planned Los Encinos hydropower project in the west of the country is controlled by López’s husband, who aims to sell energy to the state despite appearing to have a clear, and illegal, conflict of interest.

Three indigenous activists who opposed the project have been killed – their bodies found dismembered and showing signs of torture.

We interviewedRoberto, an indigenous activist who has vocally opposed the Los Encinos project. He described how his community was evicted from their homes by a squadron of police, who also set fire to their crops.

US aid directed to police and military

As Honduras’ biggest aid
donor, the US wields significant influence. In 2016, it contributed US$100 million in
bilateral aid, which could be a huge boost to fighting poverty in a
country which suffers the highest levels of inequality in the whole of Latin
America. But tens of millions of aid dollars were directed to the police and
military, both of which are heavily implicated in violence against land and
environmental activists.

Meanwhile, the US continues to pump money into
Honduran industry, despite concerns raised in Congress about the country’s dubious human rights record. The US embassy has been promoting
ramped-up investment in Honduras’ extractive industries, for instance, with US
mining giant Electrum already planning a US$1 billion investment.

How can the
killing be stopped?

The Honduran government must guarantee the protection of land and
environmental defenders, properly resourcing and implementing those
institutions responsible for their security

The
Honduran government, police and judiciary must bring the perpetrators of crimes
against these activists to justice, and end the corruption behind abusive
business projects

The
Honduran government must work with civil society to strengthen and implement
laws that guarantee the consent of indigenous communities before projects are
given the green light.

The US must
implement human rights conditions on aid to Honduras, condemn the killings of
defenders and suspend investment in industries causing the violence until
activists are better protected, crimes against them are prosecuted and
communities are consulted before business projects go ahead

Foreign
investors and International Financial Institutions should stop any planned
investments in the industries causing the violence - mining, dams, logging, tourism and large-scale agricultural projects.

Since first publication of our full
report we have amended the text, as set out in
the note on page 14 of the main report, to correct a family name
and to remove a reference to a now dismissed money laundering investigation.